Research On Religion | 2014

Archive for December, 2014

John Rees on International Development and Faith-Based Organizations

Tags: civil society, economic development, faith-based organizations (FBOs), good governance, international financial institutions, International Labor Organization, Jubilee 2000 movement, labor rights, microlending, political theology, structural adjustment, Tear Australia, Tony Blair Foundation, World Bank, World Council of Churches, World Faith Development Dialogue, World Vision

Why have faith-based organizations been ignored by the international development community for so long, and how are they starting to be integrated into efforts to improve the lives of individuals around the globe? Prof. John Rees of the University of Notre Dame in Australia provides us with a survey of the role religious groups have played in promoting economic development and social flourishing. We peer into the world of the World Bank, large international FBOs, and some grassroots efforts to see the problems and promise of foreign assistance.

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John Mark Reynolds on Dickens and “A Christmas Carol”

Tags: A Christmas Carol, A Muppet Christmas Carol, Bob Cratchit, Charles Dickens, Christmas, Ebeneezer Scrooge, Fezziwig, Fred, Hard Times, Jacob Marley, jollification, Michael Caine, money, Mrs. Cratchit, Pickwick Papers, purgation, Scrooge, The Cricket on the Hearth, Victorian era

Our special Christmas show examines the life, times, and writing of Charles Dickens with John Mark Reynolds (Houston Baptist University) with particular attention to “A Christmas Carol.” Prof. Reynolds discusses recurrent themes in Dickens’ stories and reveals a number of nuances and insights that many people miss in his timeless tale of Ebeneezer Scrooge’s redemption. And yes, we talk Muppets!

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J Warner Wallace on Cold-Case Christianity & Christmas

In one of our most unique interviews, we talk with J Warner Wallace, a cold-case homicide detective, about his journey into Christianity and his use of criminology tools to determine whether or not the Gospels have any veracity to them. We talk murder mysteries, forensic methodology, and whether or not the birth narrative of Jesus could hold up against the weight of cold-case evidence. This is a conversation that you will want to tell your friends about!

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Jim Tonkowich on Converting to Catholicism

Tags: Catholicism, Chuck Colson, Church Fathers, clergy, Coming Home Network International, congregational polity, conversion, episcopal polity, G.K. Chesterton, John Henry Newman, Marcus Grodi, Michael Novak, pastoral formation, Presbyterian Church, presbyterian polity, Robert George, Rocky the RoR mascot, Tom Farr, Wyoming Catholic College

Why would a Presbyterian who spent time in the ministry decide to convert to Catholicism? With a number of high-profile individuals making the same choice, we discuss this journey with Jim Tonkowich, former president of the Institute on Religion & Democracy. This interesting life story is peppered with sociological insights into church authority and structure, and the state of our religious environment today.

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